My nature is different

I know for a FACT that my nature is pure and clean.  I cannot STAND filth.  I cannot STAND grime. I know for a FACT that what my God expects of me and what others expect of me are two VERY different things. And that He is counting on that to make a difference.

And it A M A Z E S me how often people expect to take advantage of my personality.  On the surface, they ADMIT that they KNOW I'm tough, and not a pushover. But inside, they genuinely believe they can get the upper hand.  Many times, people get upset when they don't get their way with me because they genuinely expected to.  They honestly expected my softness (I know, right) to work in their favor..... AND, it TOTALLY doesn't.

But it's CONSISTENT.  My Children do it.  The children my children interact with do it.  MANY adults do it. (Fortunately, David no longer does it, and the people in my circle who do it are getting fewer and fewer as I eliminate the problem ones)

My Children believe they know exactly the right combination of words to bend my will. But they don't.

My In Laws (yes, inevitable that they will come up) SAY I'm mean, but have ALWAYS expected me to bend and accept THEIR will.  One of the reasons they're so unhappy with me is because I don't behave as expected.

And I'm getting SO MUCH BETTER at predicting and reading when someone is trying manipulate. And I'm sorry, it's just NOT going to happen.